Human rights expert accuses UN peacekeepers of violations in Central
Africa Republic
[March 01, 2025]
JEAN-FERNAND KOENA
BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — United Nations peacekeeping
forces and Russian mercenaries are carrying out human rights violations
in the Central African Republic, an independent investigator says.
Yao Agbetse, a human rights lawyer and independent expert, said the U.N.
is concerned about serious human rights violations in the region, which
involve not only the Central African armed forces and their Russian
allies in the Wagner Group, but also members of MINUSCA, the U.N.
peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic.
“MINUSCA contingents are among the actors on the ground who sometimes
commit violations. There have been reports of sexual abuse and
exploitation by a number of contingents," Agbetse told a news conference
Thursday in Bangui, the capital.
He added: “Particularly where the Russian bilateral forces are
concerned, there is consistent evidence of violations attributable to
the Russians, and the authorities need to take steps to find appropriate
solutions.”
Agbetse was speaking at the end of an official visit to the country to
assess, monitor and compile a report on the human rights situation
there. He will present his findings to the U.N. Human Rights Council in
September.
Sexual exploitation and abuse is ‘unacceptable’
Florence Marchal, a spokesperson for the MINUSCA mission, which was set
up in 2014, told The Associated Press on Friday that the U.N. was
committed to rigorously investigating the allegations.
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The U.N. mission “reaffirms that all forms of sexual exploitation
and abuse are unacceptable, and that multi-faceted assistance to
identified victims, while respecting their dignity, remains the
mission’s priority,” she said. ”Every allegation received by MINUSCA
is rigorously investigated, and when the facts are proven, exemplary
sanctions are applied.”
Attempts to contact Russian mercenaries in the Central African
Republic by phone for comment were not successful.
Fighting rebel groups
Central African Republic remains one of the world’s poorest
countries despite its vast mineral wealth, including gold and
diamonds. Rebel groups have often operated with impunity, thwarting
mining exploration by foreign companies.
The country has been in conflict since 2013, when predominantly
Muslim rebels seized power and forced then President François Bozizé
from office. Six of the 14 armed groups that signed a 2019 peace
deal later left the agreement. Locals and the government have
credited Wagner forces with preventing rebels from taking control of
Bangui in 2021.
The country is one of the first in which Russia-backed Wagner Group
mercenaries established operations with the pledge of fighting rebel
groups and restoring peace. Wagner forces have served as personal
bodyguards for President Faustin Archange Touadera, helping him win
a constitutional referendum in July 2023 that could extend his power
indefinitely.
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